Business performance
This section details the Group's financial and operational performance for the year ended 30 September 2OO9 and provides an update on current trading.
Group performance
The Group achieved a £45m improvement in underlying operating profits to £443m in 2009 (2008: £398m).
Acquisitions
In the year, the Group completed 12 acquisitions, including 11 within high-growth niche segments of the leisure travel market.
Gold Standard carbon offsettingTUI Travel has invested in five exclusive renewable energy and energy efficiency projects that are scheduled to deliver 500,000 tonnes of carbon offsets by the end of 2012. The projects are all designed to the Gold Standard, an independent organisation that verifies the delivery of robust carbon reduction and additional community benefits.
The Climate ProjectSimon O’Kelly, General Manager of Peregrine and Gecko Adventures, has been selected as a presenter for The Climate Project, www.theclimateproject.org. Simon was trained by Al Gore and other facilitators to give the climate change presentation from the film ‘An Inconvenient Truth’ and has committed to sharing it with as many colleagues as possible.
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Quality-centred consultationHigh-quality hotels are preferred by customers and generate loyalty to the tour operator brand. Since spring 2009, TUI Deutschland has offered professional quality consultation to hotel operators, identifying their potential for improvement. Demand for TUI Quality Support is strong, and these services offer genuine added value. The team has enabled many hotels to achieve substantial quality improvements within a short timeframe, increasing the customer appeal of these hotels considerably.
AsiaRooms.com moves to LateRooms.com modelLateRooms.com and AsiaRooms.com are our two market-leading brands in the accommodation-only market. We have already achieved growth through investing in brands and content, shared infrastructure and moving AsiaRooms.com to a commission model for hoteliers. In 2010 we intend to build on this growth further by expanding the geographic reach of both brands and entering into new markets in Europe and Australia. 
Ultramar Transport reduces coach fleet emissionsUltramar Transport, part of TUI España, provides ground transport services to TUI Travel customers in the destinations we serve. Ultramar Transport has been working hard to progressively reduce the emission profile of its fleet. Coaches purchased in the last three years comply with Euro-4 and Euro-5 European Union vehicle emission standards, the most stringent in force, representing the very latest engine and fuel-saving technology.
Saving fuel with wingletsTUIfly Nordic was one of the first airlines in the world to fit winglets to the Boeing 767s in its fleet. Aircraft with winglets – wing-ends that curve upwards – can reduce fuel burn by up to 5%, depending on flight distance. All 7 TUI Travel airlines have fuel-saving winglets fitted to some or all of the aircraft in their fleets. 
Jetairfly and Arkefly joint ventureIn 2008, a joint venture called Tec4Jets was created between our Belgian airline Jetairfly and Dutch airline Arkefly for completion of aircraft maintenance. The combined efforts of management and colleagues along with successful development of synergies across the two airlines contributed to both significant improvement in on-time performance for both airlines and higher customer satisfaction levels.
Greener Holidays e-brochureIn April 2009, First Choice published Greener Holidays, the first brochure in the UK market to promote more sustainable mainstream holidays. The online brochure features only those hotels that have earned a Travelife award for their commitment to the environment, their employees and the local community, and provides an easy way for customers to make a more sustainable choice.
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Quark Expeditions opens new routesQuark Expeditions has launched a Greenland programme which gives the opportunity to learn more about this area. Once on board the ship, customers are given illustrated presentations on Greenland's wildlife and geography and can explore its eastern fjords in zodiacs and kayaks. Quark’s expeditions are accessible worldwide through TUI Travel’s existing distribution network including adventure brands such as Peregrine Australia, Exodus in the UK and, from next year, in Germany. 
Driving growth in UK & IrelandOver the last year the UK & Ireland Specialist businesses have reduced costs and improved efficiencies by moving 11 brands onto one platform for reservations, finance, HR, E-Commerce and IT. The benefits include a wider range of products and flexibility, shared inventory, back office efficiencies and shared best practice. The integration of all brands onto one platform has driven growth for this division and will continue to add value to all of the brands as new developments are rolled out across the single platform.
Fair trade excursionTUI Nederland launched a fair trade chocolate excursion in the Dominican Republic, developed in partnership with the Dutch development organisations Cordaid and PASEO, to generate additional income for the local cacao farmers. Ten local farmers and more than 30 local women have been trained as guides on the tour. 
TUI Nederland takes sustainable tourism to travel agentsTUI Nederland was the first Dutch travel organisation to launch a sustainable tourism policy for its 220 travel agencies. During the year the stores received training and practical information on sustainable tourism. A Group Travel Agencies Sustainable Development Report was also created and each store received its own sustainability report. In January 2009 TUI Nederland won the travel industry award ‘Green Feather’ for its sustainability activities.
TUI Deutschland establishes new sustainability initiativeEarly in 2009, TUI Deutschland launched the industry sustainability initiative Futouris which focuses on climate and biodiversity protection and the promotion of educational programmes. The initiative supports schools in Namibia and Nepal and farmers in Kenya. Following its establishment by TUI Deutschland, competitors have now also joined the initiative. 
Nordics Blue Village Blue Village offers family-oriented hotels located close to the sea, designed and planned exclusively for the Nordic market. The focus is on families with children, with a wide selection of facilities and childcare options. We currently have 13 hotels, principally in European destinations such as Spain, Canary Islands and Cyprus and also one hotel in Thailand. 
Sensimar launch successA new hotel format called Sensimar has been launched in order to reach out specifically to the attractive and growing target market of high-income couples seeking quality products. In its first year of operation the concept was very successful and the first three hotels in Crete, Rhodes and Side in Turkey achieved average occupancy rates of 75 percent.
Sustainable development championsDuring 2008/2009 the Specialist & Emerging Markets Sector appointed and trained a network of over 100 sustainable development champions, each with specific targets to achieve in this area. Champions have already delivered practical sustainability projects including I Viaggi del Turchese’s ‘walk to school’ scheme, saving carbon and strengthening ties with the local community, and employee engagement activities such as the UK businesses’ sustainability-themed photography competition.
TUI Marine award-winning catamaranTUI Marine unveiled the new Sunsail 38-foot catamarans (Sunsail 384) at the October 2009 Annapolis Boat Show in the US. This model was built exclusively for TUI Marine creating a leading and differentiated position in the fastest expanding segment of yacht charter in the world. The new catamaran has already been nominated as a finalist for two prestigious competitions to be announced in 2010.
